Alice the Fairy by David Shannon, David Shannon (Illustrator)

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
David Shannon creates a girl equivalent to his recurring character David in this loosely drawn, refreshing picture book that explodes with childlike exuberance. Keeping up the mischievous energy he conjured up in No, David! and David Gets in Trouble, Shannon brings us Alice, a ringlet-haired girl pretending to be a "Temporary fairy" ("You have to pass a lot of tests to be a Permanent fairy"). Readers follow Alice as she imagines herself flying, showing off her fairy accessories, looking in her Magic Mirror, and especially, performing fairy tricks. Children will have a ball watching Alice using her wand for disappearing acts (turning off the lights), avoiding dangerous broccoli ("poisoned by the wicked Duchess and should never be eaten"), and more, all caught in Shannon's illustrations, which convey the imaginative, spirited nature of girlhood. If you loved David, Alice is a magical delight with whom you'll definitely want to get acquainted. Shana Taylor

From the Publisher

Alice has a nose for trouble, but luckily she's a fairy--a Temporary Fairy. She has a magic wand, fairy wings, and a blanket, all of which she uses to disappear, to fly, to transform her dad into a horse, and to turn his cookies into her own! There are still a few things Alice needs to learn to become a Permanent Fairy, like how to float her dog on the ceiling and make her clothes put themselves away, but she's working on it--sort of. Here's an endearing, funny story about a girl and her magical imagination, sure to delight every fairy in training!

Publishers Weekly

Though one must attend Advanced Fairy School to become a "Permanent fairy," young Alice has earned her stripes as a "Temporary fairy," wielding a wand and a colorful imagination to brighten her days. Kids will instantly connect to Alice's matter-of-fact tone as she describes the perks and pitfalls of fairyhood. "I can't fly very high yet, but I can fly really fast!" or "I changed my dad into a horse." When she's not disappearing (with a flick of the light switch) or curtsying in the Magic Mirror ("Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairiest of them all?" she asks), Alice tries to stay on the good side of the wicked Duchess (Mom) and Duke of Morningside Drive and perfect her spell casting. Shannon again slips comfortably into the mindset of a child, opening a window on that special time of life when it's easy to believe in magic. The ink-and-watercolor artwork bears the sketchy, childlike style of No, David, giving the proceedings an appropriately breezy feel. Alice-all pink dress, blonde curls and sparkly wings-is a sunny (and ever-so-slightly spunky) delight. Ages 3-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Joan Kindig, Ph.D. - Children's Literature

Alice believes she is a fairy-in-training. She is certain that when she becomes a permanent fairy she will be able to do all of the things real fairies do. For now, she must content herself with small-scale magic like changing her dad into a horse (so he can play horsey with her) and making herself disappear (turning off the light switch). Her fairy dust is sugar that, in her mind, changes her yucky oatmeal into yummy cake. Sometimes, though, her magic powers get her into trouble and the Duchess (mommy) locks her in the tower (her room). In Alice the Fairy, Shannon returns to the unsophisticated, childlike paintings that were so successful in No, David! and its sequels. Since this is told from a preschooler's point of view, the artwork is the perfect complement to the story. Alice is a typical preschooler who truly believes if she hides under a blanket, she has disappeared. It is this innocence that makes the story so believable and charming. Alice is pretending to be a fairy and the reader wants nothing more than to join Alice as she waves her magic wand all around her world. 2004, Blue Sky Press, Ages 3 to 8.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-Donning a fairy costume inspires a little girl's imagination in this droll picture book. Alice speaks for herself, claiming she can fly (not too high but really fast), can change her dad into a horse (for a horsey ride), can make herself disappear (by flicking off the light switch with her wand), and can turn oatmeal into cake by pouring on fairy dust (sugar). There are elements of danger, such as broccoli poisoned by the wicked Duchess (Mom) and baths (fairies hate baths), as well as mischief ("-my mom made cookies for my dad. So I turned them into mine") and mishaps ("Once I accidentally turned my white dress into a red one"). Alice knows that Permanent fairyhood requires a lot of tests, attending Advanced Fairy School, and learning how to "make clothes get up off the floor and- line up in the closet," so she'll "probably be a Temporary fairy forever." With his signature cartoon-style art and childlike lettering, Shannon has created a winsome, exuberant heroine whose wide eyes and toothy smile bring David to mind, though Alice's blond ringlets are all her own. Variety in page and text layout and the use of brilliant color make the pictures dance and occasionally pop right off the pages. An enjoyable romp.-Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Young David, who ran bare-bottomed into the hearts of zillions, has a sister-or at least a kindred spirit! Unlike her nonverbal relative, though, she's quite a chatterbox. Introducing herself as a "Temporary fairy," she proceeds to demonstrate tricks she can do-magically turning Dad into a horsie, a plateful of Dad's cookies into her cookies, and, by waving her wand too close to a glass of juice, a white dress into a red one-and can't-making the dog, or her strewn clothes, float off the floor. A peg-toothed child sporting tied-on wings, and a sequined tiara atop blonde curls, Alice dances through Shannon's blotchy, scribbled domestic scenes. Her big personality shines forth from both pictures and hand-lettered nattering, and the touch of vulnerability that he adds to her brash self-confidence makes her all the more likable. Watch out, Olivia. (Picture book. 5-7)

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